Radio antenna device



Dec. 15, 1936. M. P. AnENzA l 23054585 'RADIO ANTENNA DEVICE Filed May fz, 1935 To RAD/0 RfCZ/V//VG Str Patented Dec. l5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcl-z RADIO ANTENNA DEVICE Mauricio l. Atienza, Brooklyn. N. Y.

Application May 7, 1935, Serial No. 20,179

SCIaims.

. a rotatable antenna mounted on a suitable framework,A the whole being supported through the medium of anti-friction bearings on a suitable housing support. y'

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of a contact device within thevhousing support which will function for all positions of the rotating antenna.

A further object of the invention relates to the provision of a resilient means to maintain the relatively movable parts of the contact device in positiv. engagement at all times, said resilient means also functioning as an automatic wear take-up medium for the contact device.

Other objects of the invention will be more vclearly pointed outin the following detailed de- Figure 3 is a plan view oi' one of the partsvof the contact device. Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the other cooperating part of the contact device.

Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, my device comprises a vertical tubular standard or column Il, rigidly supported on its lowerend by the base or pedestal II. Enclosing the upper end ot the standard Il is a rotating cylindrical casing or housing I2 that is rigidly connected to the lower end of a tubular member I3. Rigidly attached in any suitable manner to the upper end of the tubular member I3 isa rectangular frame I5 formed of pipe or any other suitable material. As shown in Figure 1, the frame Il is centrally supported on its lowe: side by the tubular member I3.

Arranged within the frame Il and in the plane ment member 36p-being threadedly secured' to the (Cl. Z50-33) thereof, is an antenna loop or aerial 20. This comprises a continuous length of suitable antenna wire mounted in parallel horizontal strandsil on the vertical supports 22 arranged inwardly of and adjacent to the vertical sides 23, 5 24 of the frame I5, and connected thereto by the insulator clips 25.

If desired, thls'arrangement of the antenna maybe reversed, that is the strands thereof may be arranged vertically, with the supports 22 con- 10 nected to the horizontalbars of the frame I5.

Inasmuch as the frame I5 is mounted for rotatable movement, in the manner to be hereinafter described, the same may be readily utilized as a wind vane by the attachment thereto of the vanes 21 and 28.

The housing I2. comprises an upper cap 30 threadedly attached to the tubular member I3 at a point inwardly of the bottomedge thereof, that portion of the tub'ular member I3 projecting into 20 the housing I2 being provided with diametrically opposed slots 3I for a purpose to be hereinafter described. The cap 3II is threadedly attached to the upper end of cylindrical body; I2a= of the housing I2, the lower end thereof being provided with a similar cap 3l having a central apertured boss 32.

' The upper end of the tubular standard I0 is adapted to project through the apertured boss 32 of the -cap 30 into the housing I2, to which end is rigidly attached the casing 35 of a contact device.

The casing 35 of the contact device comprises end abutment members 36 and 31, the lower abutupper end of the tubular standard I0. Each of the abutment members 36 and 31 are respectively locked to the ends of the cylindrical body ci the casing 35, kby the circumferentially arranged lugs 33 formed on the abutment members co 40 acting with the complementary recesses 39 provided on the endsof said cylindrical body in the manner readily apparent. This construction provides for ease of assembly and disassembly. 'Ihe upper abutment member 31 is formed with a central. opening through which the slotted end of the tubular member I3 extends.

Arranged for seating engagement on the abutment 36 is a pad 40 of insulating material rigidly secured thereto by the counter-sunk screws 4I. v50 most clearly shown in` Figure 4. Formed integral with the top of the pad 40 is an annular Vsegmental shoulder 42, the, parts thereof being arranged between the screw openings, see Figure 4. Adapted to be snugly seated on the pad 40 within the shoulder 42 is a contact disc 45 of conducting material such as copper, having formed thereon a lug 46 adapted to fit in any one of the openings or spaces between the segments of the shoulder 42 whereby to prevent relative rotative movement of the disc on the pad. Both the pad 40 and disc 45 are provided with centrally aligned openings through which a conductor 48 within the tubular standard I 0 extends for attachment in any suitable manner to said contact disc.

Slidably positioned within the tubular member I3 is a hollow plunger 50 provided with lugs-5| adapted to slidably fit within the slots 3i of the member I3 as clearly shown in Figure 2.' The plunger 5D has formed thereon a ilanged head 52 adapted to have secured to the bottom thereof a pad 53 of insulating material, the peripheral edge thereof being provided with a shoulder 54. Seated within the pad 53, in a recess provided therefor, is a contact disc 55 of conducting material such as copper provided with a lug 55 to lock the same against movement relative to said pad. A conductor 58 within the tubular member I3 extends through the hollow plunger 50 and aligned central openings in the pad and disc to be attached in any desired manner to the-contact disc 55.

The contact disc 55 is provided with an integral V-shaped annular ring 60 adapted to bear on the co-actng contact disc 45. To maintain this engagement at all times and to compensate for wear there is provided a coil spring 5I surrounding the slotted portion of the tubular member I3, one end bearing on the ilanged head 52, the other end thereof engaging to upper cap 30.

Rotation of the frame I5 will carry with it the tubular member I3 and housing I2. In view -of the keyed or splined connection of the plunger 55 with the slotted end of the tubular member I3, this rotative movement will be imparted to the contact disc 55 and V-ring SII which will thus turn on the stationary contact disc 45.

'Ihe conductor 53 passes outwardly oi the tubular member I3 and is attached to the antenna as at 52. 'I'he other conductor 48 also passes out of the tubular standard I5 for connection to the radio receiving set.

To render the turning of the frame I5 on the standard I0 substantially frictionless there is arranged within the housing I2, anti-friction bearings. Each of the abutment members 35 and 31 are respectively provided with raceways 55 for the ball-bearings 56, the construction being such that the same will bear on the caps 3l and 3i. Ii desired wear plates 81 may be provided on said caps for engagement by said ball-bearings. Y

From the above construction it is apparent that the housing I2 carrying the frame I5 has anti-friction bearing engagement at vertically spaced points with the casing of the contact device 35 rigidly carried by the supporting standard III, thus insuring not only frictionless rotational Amovement but also providing a structure hav,

ing great lateral stability that will act to retain the frame I5 always vertical and prevent'buckling of the supports therefor.

By virtue oi the contact device construction, the bearing of the V-ring 50 of the contact disc 55 on the contact disc 45 will always be the same and with the same pressure for all angular rotative positions of the frame I5, thus always positively insuring anuninterrupted now of current therethrough.

As many modiilcations of my invention will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, I do not limit or connne my invention to the speciilc details oi' construction herein described.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. A swivel contact device and support for a radio loop antenna including a stationary standard and an antenna supporting member rotatably connected to said standard, a cylindrical casing rigidly connected at its lower end to said standard, said supporting member extending into the upper end of said casing for rotative movement therein and arranged to have a splined connection with a hollow plunger, a flanged head on said plunger carrying a contact disc, a stationary contact disc secured to the bottom oi said casing, andspring meansv associated with said movable contact disc for urging andmaintaining the same in engagement with the cooperating stationary contact disc at all times, a pad of insulating material arranged between each of said contact discs and its associated support, said stationary contact disc and its associated insulator pad including means whereby the same may be adjusted relative to said pad; a conductor connecting said antenna loop with said movable contact disc, and a conductor connecting said stationary contact disc with a radio receiving set.

2. A swivel connection for a radio antenna loop,comprising a tubular standard, a hollow cylindrical casing open at its upper end rigidly secured at its lower end to the upper end of said' standard, anti-friction bearings arranged at each end of said casing, a rotatable housing entirely enclosing said casing in concentric relation and rotatably supported by said anti-friction bearings, a tubular support for said antenna loop rigidly mounted on the upper end of said housing with the lower end of said support projecting into the interior of said casing through its open upper end, guide slots on said support end. a contact member movably mounted within said guide slots for rotative movement with said tubular support, a coiled spring surrounding said tubular support having its upper end abutting the top of the housing and its lower end abutting saidl contact member to urge the same axially outwardly of said tubular support, and a stationary contact member within said casing rigidly secured to the lower end thereof engaged by said rotating contact member, a conductor extending through said tubular support connected to the rotating contact member, a conducor connected to the stationary contact member extending through the tubular standard, said conductors and contact members providing a closed circuit between said antenna loop and a radio receiving set, and said coil spring functioning to maintain the contacting engagement of said contact members.

3. In the swivel connection as specied in claim 2, said rotating` contact member comprising a carrying element, an insulating pad and a contact disc provided with a V-shaped circular edge. The stationary contact member comprising an insulating pad and a ilat contact disc adapted to be engaged by said V-shaped circular ridge, said stationary contact member including means whereby the ilat contact disc may be locked in a plurality of adjusted angular positions relative to its supporting insulating pad.

MAURICIO P. Am 

